PRINCETON, N.J., March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Derma Sciences, Inc. , provider of advanced wound care products, announced today that one of the four abstracts detailing the clinical usage of its newly released MEDIHONEY(TM) Wound & Burn Dressings with Active Leptospermum Honey presented at the annual American Professional Wound Care Association (APWCA) conference held the second week in March in Forth Worth, Texas, was awarded first prize in the association’s review of all posters presented. The poster, titled “Chronic Lower Extremity Ulceration -- Use of a Leptospermum Impregnated Alginate to Accelerate Wound Closure,” was presented by Dr. Matt Regulski, DPM, Toms River Foot and Ankle Surgical Associates, New Jersey. The poster, selected by a multidisciplinary group including a podiatrist, a vascular surgeon, and a wound care certified nurse, was one of 40 posters accepted at this year’s conference.
There are over 1 million patients with non-healing leg ulcers each year in the US. That number is growing along with the aging of the population. It has been estimated that the average total cost of care to manage a non-healing leg ulcer is roughly $10,000. Costs can increase dramatically if surgical interventions are required. Dr. Regulski’s study looked at 8 patients he had been treating that had non-healing venous leg ulcers. All patients had been managed with multi-layer compression along with another advanced wound care dressing to cover the wound. The study design had a typical 12-week evaluation period, standard in protocols that look to quantify the complete 100% healing rate. The same multi-layer compression was continued, but the wound dressing covering the wound was changed to MEDIHONEY. After only 6 weeks, five of the wounds had completely closed, and the other three wounds averaged 75% closure by the end of the study period. This resulted in a combined 91.4% closure rate. Additional endpoints quantified during the study included:
About the product’s recognition at the APWCA, CEO Edward Quilty said, “Venous leg ulcers can be some of the most difficult to manage. Although 50% heal with standard multi-layer compression therapy, it is the other 50% that make the quality of life so poor for patients with this type of ulcer. We knew from Georgina Gethin’s large-scale randomized controlled study presented last year that the use of Active Leptospermum Honey helped to increase the healing rate of these otherwise non-healing leg ulcers, and we sought to do a confirmatory case series study when we launched MEDIHONEY last fall. Dr. Regulski’s study is impressive and compares very favorably to other case series of 8-12 non-healing leg ulcer patients managed with other products. Indeed, as is the case with any new product introduced into the wound care market, clinicians first put the dressings on their toughest hard-to-heal wounds, and the majority of MEDIHONEY used so far has been on these non-healing leg ulcers. This is exciting to us for two reasons: First, we believe that the reputation MEDIHONEY is garnering out in the field for its effectiveness on non-healing leg ulcers is helping to position the product as first-line for this type of ulcer by the clinicians that have used the dressing. As word spreads and as we increase our sales force, the product stands a good chance of widespread adoption for the management of non-healing leg ulcers. Secondly, since this type of wound is third in incidence within the big three ulcer types -- behind pressure ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers -- we have good reason to believe that our initial strong sales are only scratching the surface of what we will be able to achieve with MEDIHONEY. We have larger cohort studies planned for both diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers, and based on the evidence we have seen thus far to date on these types of ulcers, we are confident that we will see similar movement towards first-line positioning in the management of these wounds.”
Speaking of his use of MEDIHONEY, Dr. Matt Regulski said, “Because of its capability as a debrider, anti-inflammatory, free-radical absorber, odor fighter, and properties for fibroblast and macrophage enhancement, this dressing is incredibly versatile and cost-effective. It takes the place of two or three dressings which saves money, and it is very easy to apply. Patients love the idea of a natural dressing instead of applying synthesized chemicals to their wounds. This marks our return to more natural treatments with proven efficacy. Its popularity is only going to grow. We have had great success with it, and it is a part of our everyday treatment regimen for all of our patients.”
About Derma Sciences
Derma Sciences is a global manufacturer and marketer of advanced wound-care products. Its key product, MEDIHONEY, is sold throughout the world by Derma Sciences and Comvita New Zealand -- the licensor of the patented honey-based technology -- and is the leading brand of honey-based dressings for the management of wounds and burns. The product has been shown to be effective in a variety of wounds and burns, and was recently the focus of two positive large-scale randomized controlled studies on leg ulcers. For more information about Derma Sciences, Inc., visit its home page on the Internet at http://www.dermasciences.com.
Forward-looking Statements
Statements contained in this release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “estimate” or “continue” are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that certain important factors may affect the Company’s actual results and could cause such results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements which may be made in this release or which are otherwise made by or on behalf of the Company. Factors which may affect the Company’s results include, but are not limited to, product demand, market acceptance, impact of competitive products and prices, product development, completion of an acquisition, commercialization or technological difficulties, the success or failure of negotiations and trade, legal, social and economic risks. Additional factors that could cause or contribute to differences between the Company’s actual results and forward-looking statements Include but are not limited to, those discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
r.barrio@allencaron.comequilty@dermasciences.combrian@allencaron.com
CONTACT: Edward J. Quilty, Chairman and CEO of Derma Sciences, Inc.,
+1-609-514-4744, equilty@dermasciences.com; or US Investors, Rudy Barrio,
r.barrio@allencaron.com, or media, Brian Kennedy, brian@allencaron.com,
both of Allen & Caron Inc, +1-212-691-8087, for Derma Sciences, Inc.
Web site: http://www.dermasciences.com/
